Tips, tactics and strategies to help you have a Perfect Workday AND a lighter heart.

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Write a Novel...Take a Nap

Finished my first novel yesterday.

LOL! No, not reading one…writing one. Started it eight years ago, life got in the way, restarted it in January and finished at three o’clock yesterday. A murder mystery titled, Final Grade, it should be available on Amazon by Labor Day.

My reaction to finishing the book was interesting and confusing. I thought I’d be elated. Let’s drink a beer! Celebrate!

But, that wasn’t my reaction at all. It was almost as if a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I wanted to take a nap almost immediately. Of course, at 63, I’m kinda getting to the point that I can eat a pack of Nabs and want to take a nap.

Through the afternoon I just let my feelings flow; thinking about starting the book by writing an outline on a grocery bag in a bar in Chapel Hill, and all the things that have happened in the interim. Lots of ups and downs and ups.

Understanding how you react to life’s roller coaster can help you deal with change. Being surprised at your reactions, as I was yesterday, is a good thing, you get a better idea of how your mind works.

What are you working on right now? How do you expect to feel when you complete the project? You can use the expectation of elation, relief, acceptance, even depression, as a motivator to move through a challenge and accomplish a goal.

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Mike Collins is president of The Perfect Workday Company, an information company based in The Research Triangle Region of North Carolina. He presents 100+ programs a year for organizations such as IBM, American Express, Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals and The John F. Kennedy Special Warfare School and Center.